Here’s the Dish: Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Fall is the prime time to get pumpkin-spiced lattes, make pumpkin-themed baked goods, and enjoy the brightly contrasted leaves descending from the trees. As expected, this post is no exception. Over the past week, I’ve made mini pumpkin cheesecakes and they are surprisingly easy to make. The lightly spiced pumpkin puree mixture creates a whole new element to the typical vanilla cheesecake. Even the colors of the cheesecake remind me of autumn, with its warm tones of the pumpkin and graham cracker. Moreover, what I like about this dessert is that it’s not insanely sweet and that it fills me up quickly despite its small size. I highly recommend this recipe; it’s the perfect treat for the season and you’ll steal the show if you bring these to parties and events!

Duration: roughly an hour (30 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to bake)
Makes about twelve mini-cheesecakes

Ingredients:

The crust:

• 7 graham cracker sheets
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 5 tablespoon unsalted butter — melted

The cheesecake mix:

• 16 oz. cream cheese — softened
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 egg white

The pumpkin mix:

• ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 teaspoon all purpose flour

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F and line a standard cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

   

   

2. Crush the graham cracker into fine crumbs and stir in the cinnamon and sugar. Melt the butter and then add it to the graham cracker mix. Mix with a fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened.

   

    

3. Take one heaping tablespoon of the graham cracker mix for each cupcake liner and press down the crumbs. Set this aside for now.

   

   

    

4. For the cheesecake mix, mix the softened cream cheese until it’s smooth. Then mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. When it’s evenly distributed, add the egg whites one at a time and turn the mixer on low speed. Make sure not to over beat it.

   

   

   

    

5. For the pumpkin mix, take a medium bowl and mix together the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, allspice, and flour. After, add ⅔ cup of the cheesecake mixture into the pumpkin mix and blend it with a spatula.

   

   

    

6. Scoop about one tablespoon of the pumpkin mix into each cupcake liner. Afterward, fill the rest of the cupcake liner with the cheesecake mix until it almost reaches the top.

   

    

7. Use the remaining pumpkin mix to add 3-4 dots on each of the cheesecakes and swirl the dots with a toothpick.
8. Bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through the baking time.

   

   

    

9. After taking them out of the oven, cool them completely and store it in refrigerator.